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The term socken – comparable to the English term parish – refers to a historical geographical entity found in rural areas of Scandinavia. This entity presents a multi-layered understanding of the local rural area and is in this essay conceptualized as a place. The concept of place is central to geographic work but it is also a contested term – discourses within the field of geography present different perspectives on place as a geographical concept and our understanding of it.

The history of parishes goes centuries back. The parish has throughout this period of time become an essential part of the local rural geography, in the 20th century however, the parish – as an autonomous rural entity – has been abandoned for larger administrative areas resulting in changes in the local geography in rural spaces. The concept of the parish is however not easily made rid of: it is still viewed as a relevant part of the conceptualization of the local and the man-land relationship.

The understanding of what makes out the local area and its significance is a relevant inquiry. This essay explores the parish as a geographical place considering the multi-layered aspects of the concept and the different understandings of place represented by diverse geographical discourses. A field study carried out in the rural municipality of Ydre in east Sweden explores the construction of the local area by understanding the parish as place.

Since the beginning of the new millennium, China has opened itself to the outside world and in an enormous pace increased its contacts and relationships with other countries. The trigger to these dramatic changes of economic and foreign policies is the insight that China can no longer sustain its rapid economic growth, largely based on industrial production, on energy and raw materials from China alone.

Good relations with African countries have been of highest priority in China’s strategy of “Going global”. The new African policy is based on the two principles of mutual benefit and non-interference in internal affairs – as opposite to the West’s strategy of structural adjustment programmes (SAP), which include massive interference in internal affairs. China’s renewed interest in the African continent has spawned much enthusiasm from African leaders, paving the way for massive contracts of infrastructural construction and official aid as well as grants and loans. There has, however, also been massive protests from the West on the Chinese presence in African countries and on its emerging role as the continents preferred business and development partner. China has been accused of propping up anti-democratic regimes as well as of blunt disregard of the human rights and the environment. Albeit when viewed over time, much of the Western criticism of China’s supposed crimes, and worse, was committed during the colonial era. Behind the accusations lies instead a very real threat to the Western control over Africa’s natural resources, particularly oil and natural gas.

Because of the Chinese presence and activities in 48 of 54 African countries and the strikingly prosperous sino-african relations, the West has been forced to reconsider its aid and development policies to be able to compete with China. This has created a unique situation for African countries where two opponents compete in offering advantageous development and aid packages in exchange for extraction contracts on various natural resources. As a result of what could rightfully be called a new scramble for Africa’s resources, African countries now have the opportunity to play the contending China and West against each other in an attempt to benefit from the best possible offer. The dangers of this game should however, not be disregarded.

Increased pressure on ecosystems and enhanced competition over the use of natural resources makes it necessary to develop sustainable methods for natural resource management (NRM). However, NRM is a complicated issue. It involves numerous stakeholders, with different needs, resources and perceptions of nature. Stakeholder participation will necessarily be selective, based both on theoretical assumptions about who is a legitimate stakeholder and unevenly distributed power among stakeholders. Although stakeholder involvement is important, sometimes the theory appears to be rather blunt. It has been suggested that, since different categories of stakeholders embody different perceptions of nature, cultural theory could provide important additional criteria for stakeholder involvement. Based on field studies in Naivasha, Kenya, this paper analyses pros and cons of stakeholder analysis and investigates the usefulness of cultural theory for improved stakeholder analysis.

Linköping University, The Tema Institute, Department of Water and Environmental Studies. Linköping University, The Tema Institute, Department of Water and Environmental Studies, Department of Geography. Linköping University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences.

Why can Asia now feed its rapidly growing population, but Africa continues to experience famine? This book is the outcome of a three-year project coordinated by a group of Swedish researchers with collaborating scholars from Africa and Asia. It provides a comparative study between Asian agricultural development during the Green Revolution in food production and the current problematic agricultural situation in sub-Saharan Africa. Based on case studies of eight African and eight Asian countries (focusing on the early part of the Green Revolution), this book presents a causal and explanatory model of Asian green revolutions. It discusses why such progress has been made in Asia, but has not yet occurred in Africa. It also examines the implications of the case studies for future development in Africa.

11.

Erserud, Björn

Linköping University, The Tema Institute, Department of Water and Environmental Studies, Department of Geography. Linköping University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences.

Linköping University, The Tema Institute, Department of Water and Environmental Studies. Linköping University, The Tema Institute, Department of Water and Environmental Studies, Department of Geography. Linköping University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences.

Linköping University, The Tema Institute, Department of Water and Environmental Studies. Linköping University, The Tema Institute, Department of Water and Environmental Studies, Department of Geography. Linköping University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences.

Linköping University, The Tema Institute, Department of Water and Environmental Studies. Linköping University, The Tema Institute, Department of Water and Environmental Studies, Department of Geography. Linköping University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences.

Linköping University, The Tema Institute, Department of Water and Environmental Studies. Linköping University, The Tema Institute, Department of Water and Environmental Studies, Department of Geography. Linköping University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences.

Linköping University, The Tema Institute, Department of Water and Environmental Studies. Linköping University, The Tema Institute, Department of Water and Environmental Studies, Department of Geography. Linköping University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences.

* Questions many key assumptions about the efficacy of NGOs and civil society in development. * Provides suggestions on how to improve NGO performance and how NGOs can better link with local African initiatives and agendas.Beginning in the 1980s, sub-Saharan Africa witnessed a veritable explosion of NGOs and CSOs engaged in efforts to develop the subcontin­ent. Often praised for their commitment, flexibility, close contact with grassroots movements and marginalized groups, these organizations have become the darlings of donors and the UN system. During the same period, however, rural Africa has sunk deeper into poverty. The massive NGO engagement appears not to have made any meaningful progress. Snakes in Paradise breaks through the generalizations and neat theories to discover why these efforts have failed. Focusing especially on those local NGOs that are frequently overlooked by studies that cover the major international players, Holmén uncovers a NGO landscape that is considerably more ambiguous than the popular development literature would have people believe.

21.

Holmén, Hans

Linköping University, The Tema Institute, Department of Water and Environmental Studies, Department of Geography. Linköping University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences.

Why can Asia now feed its rapidly growing population, but Africa continues to experience famine? This book is the outcome of a three-year project coordinated by a group of Swedish researchers with collaborating scholars from Africa and Asia. It provides a comparative study between Asian agricultural development during the Green Revolution in food production and the current problematic agricultural situation in sub-Saharan Africa. Based on case studies of eight African and eight Asian countries (focusing on the early part of the Green Revolution), this book presents a causal and explanatory model of Asian green revolutions. It discusses why such progress has been made in Asia, but has not yet occurred in Africa. It also examines the implications of the case studies for future development in Africa.

22.

Holmén, Hans

Linköping University, The Tema Institute, Department of Water and Environmental Studies, Department of Geography. Linköping University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences.

Why can Asia now feed its rapidly growing population, but Africa continues to experience famine? This book is the outcome of a three-year project coordinated by a group of Swedish researchers with collaborating scholars from Africa and Asia. It provides a comparative study between Asian agricultural development during the Green Revolution in food production and the current problematic agricultural situation in sub-Saharan Africa. Based on case studies of eight African and eight Asian countries (focusing on the early part of the Green Revolution), this book presents a causal and explanatory model of Asian green revolutions. It discusses why such progress has been made in Asia, but has not yet occurred in Africa. It also examines the implications of the case studies for future development in Africa.

23.

Holmén, Hans

Linköping University, The Tema Institute, Department of Water and Environmental Studies. Linköping University, The Tema Institute, Department of Water and Environmental Studies, Department of Geography. Linköping University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences.

Linköping University, The Tema Institute, Department of Water and Environmental Studies. Linköping University, The Tema Institute, Department of Water and Environmental Studies, Department of Geography. Linköping University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences.

Why can Asia now feed its rapidly growing population, but Africa continues to experience famine? This book is the outcome of a three-year project coordinated by a group of Swedish researchers with collaborating scholars from Africa and Asia. It provides a comparative study between Asian agricultural development during the Green Revolution in food production and the current problematic agricultural situation in sub-Saharan Africa. Based on case studies of eight African and eight Asian countries (focusing on the early part of the Green Revolution), this book presents a causal and explanatory model of Asian green revolutions. It discusses why such progress has been made in Asia, but has not yet occurred in Africa. It also examines the implications of the case studies for future development in Africa.

26.

Holmén, Hans

et al.

Linköping University, The Tema Institute, Department of Water and Environmental Studies, Department of Geography. Linköping University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences.

What can sub-Saharan Africa learn from Asian experiences in addressing its food crisis? / Historical and comparative study of agricultural development in seven Asian countries. Comparison of African case studies in eight countries in SSA: macro studies based on secondary data and interviews with key persons and, to complement this, village surveys and questionnaires involving more than 3000 smallholders. The performance of African smallholders is held back by a number of economic, political and institutional factors at regional, national and international levels. Positive tone: it is indeed possible to reverse the downhill slide with regard to the food situation in SSA by means of policy measures on the parts of African governments and by the international community.

27.

Holmén, Hans

et al.

Linköping University, The Tema Institute, Department of Water and Environmental Studies, Department of Geography. Linköping University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences.

The overwhelming majority of people living in poverty are small-scale farmers and agricultural workers. To reach the UN Millennium Development Goals of halving world poverty by 2015, agricultural development and enhanced productivity must play a key role.Taking Sweden’s ”Policy for Global Development” as the point of departure, the purpose of this book is to highlight linkages and conflicts of interest between the developed and developing countries in agriculture, trade and environmental management, as well as the potential for enhanced coherence.

28.

Holmén, Hans

et al.

Linköping University, The Tema Institute, Department of Water and Environmental Studies, Department of Geography. Linköping University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences.

Linköping University, The Tema Institute, Department of Water and Environmental Studies. Linköping University, The Tema Institute, Department of Water and Environmental Studies, Department of Geography. Linköping University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences.

Why can Asia now feed its rapidly growing population, but Africa continues to experience famine? This book is the outcome of a three-year project coordinated by a group of Swedish researchers with collaborating scholars from Africa and Asia. It provides a comparative study between Asian agricultural development during the Green Revolution in food production and the current problematic agricultural situation in sub-Saharan Africa. Based on case studies of eight African and eight Asian countries (focusing on the early part of the Green Revolution), this book presents a causal and explanatory model of Asian green revolutions. It discusses why such progress has been made in Asia, but has not yet occurred in Africa. It also examines the implications of the case studies for future development in Africa.

32.

Holmén, Hans

et al.

Linköping University, The Tema Institute, Department of Water and Environmental Studies. Linköping University, The Tema Institute, Department of Water and Environmental Studies, Department of Geography. Linköping University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences.

Linköping University, The Tema Institute, Department of Water and Environmental Studies. Linköping University, The Tema Institute, Department of Water and Environmental Studies, Department of Geography. Linköping University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences.

Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are major players in development aid today. It is widely believed they represent civil society and that, for example, the UN and the World Bank would be strengtened if NGOs were given a larger influence over policy formulation and development. As one can hardly speak of an NGO community, the issue of representation is far from easily solved. NGOs often compete for visibility, clients and influence, and representation leaves a lot to be desired. Hence, governments' and intergovernmental institutions' reluctance to accept immediately NGOs as partners, may be necessary for NGOs to become representative and, paradoxically, for strengthening civil society as well.

Linköping University, The Tema Institute, Department of Water and Environmental Studies. Linköping University, The Tema Institute, Department of Water and Environmental Studies, Department of Geography. Linköping University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences.

Linköping University, The Tema Institute, Department of Water and Environmental Studies. Linköping University, The Tema Institute, Department of Water and Environmental Studies, Department of Geography. Linköping University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences.

This is a tale about energy and power. It describes the geographer Halford Mackinder’s geopolitical theories and compares them with current views outlined by Zbigniew Brzezinski and Michael T Klare, among others. With a critical approach it also provides a historical account of a Europe that stands in front of an energy struggle so severe that the current world order seems destined to fall. Oil and natural gas, has since the beginning of the 20th century, been used as a geopolitical tool in order to create dependence, control and even sometimes overthrow empires. USA has for example dominated the “protectorates” Europe and Japan by controlling the flow of oil in the Middle East. But this seems to change. It can’t be ruled out that the cities of Europe in the long run will be shrouded in darkness. The background is that Europe’s own deposits of fossil energy are decreasing at such vast speed that almost the entire demand will have to be imported by the year 2020. Awareness of this forecast, and the undertaking to reduce the carbon emissions in accordance with the Kyoto treaty, led to a grand proclamation in March 2007 to reduce the need for fossil fuels. This commitment seems however to be insufficient if independence towards other regions shall be maintained. Only a small part of the demand can be met by domestically produced fuels. Neither will the proposed energy reducing measures increase the energy security. The conclusion is that there is no time to develop new technology in order to save Europe from its difficult situation.

The dependence on Russia will instead grow stronger. The current geopolitical order, where the United States has acted as a military protector and guarantor of the energy security, looks like it is going to fall. The US is bogged down in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars at the same time as Europe’s dependence on energy from the East grows. The US also has economic troubles and their own energy security dilemma. Russia has on the other hand acted with greater self confidence and purposefully built alliances with China, the Middle East and its former republics in Central Asia. Russia may soon dictate the future of Europe with its energy trump card. If Europe keeps its alliance with US and tries to challenge or subjugate Russia into its “unipolar” order it will deepen the risk for conflict. In such a conflict, Moscow has the power to darken and cool down the European room. Since every country is dependent on the dwindling energy resources for their survival, it may escalate into a full blown war. But the new order may be short. Within two decades there will probably be no surplus of energy to export for Russia, or any other nation for that matter. Europe will by then be without it’s own energy resources and simultaneously lose the option to import.

European cities of today are under the challenge to find ways to stay competitive and flourish in a rapidly changing world, where the old patterns of centrality and periphery not necessarily holds true. New and improved communication networks, a changed political geography in Europe, and the globalisation of not only the financial and industrial markets but also to a certain extent the globalisation of people, have all led to great challenges for cities and regions.

In a changed spatial reality the classic monocentric models are challenged by newer models of urbanisation. The polycentric urban region is one such model which has been used to describe urban regions like the Randstad in the Netherlands and the Rhein-Ruhr region in Germany. Regions which lack the single dominant central city of the monocentric models of old, and instead shows a high degree of more equal-sized and sometimes more specialised cities in regional cooperation. The polycentric urban region is in that aspect a possible model for how other urbanised regions in Europe may act to be able to position themselves as attractive urban regions and regional hubs in the European urban network.

Polycentric urban regions are not a universal solution, though. For such regions to work there are a number of prerequisites to be filled, something that makes it a possible future for regions like Haute-Normandie in France, where the two cities of Le Havre and Rouen have the possibility to form one urban region and already show signs of heading in that direction, while a region like Dolnośląskie in Poland – where the city of Wrocław is the dominant city in what makes for a more classic monocentric region – has much less opportunity to use a polycentric strategy on the regional level to become competitive. On the other hand such a city and region can instead benefit from the fact that Poland is to a high degree a polycentric nation, and as one of the larger cities in such an environment, Wrocław has the opportunity to position itself as a hub in the European urban network in a way that Le Havre and Rouen cannot, due to their physical location close to the giant European urban region of Paris.

The purpose of the paper is to study the possible development of municipalities and urban areas in the county of Jönköping, Kalmar and Östergötland to 2020, with glimpses into the future. The background to the paper are discussions taking place in Sweden on a new regional division, where a merge of existing counties are about to happen. In this process is the forming of Eastern Götaland a proposal for the three counties and it is therefore of interest to study how these may evolve in the future.

For this analysis, time-geographical bases combined with Christaller central place theory are used to create a three-dimensional landscape of accessibility. This has then been used as an starting point in the discussions about how urban areas evolve. The results of the paper shows that those who succeeded in attracting new residents can be divided mainly into three groups; commuter towns with good transport links to other places, suburbs whit short distances to a regional center or provincial capitals (except in Östergötland, where both Linköping and Norrköping are growth centers). For those which have not been able to this has often a lack of good communications and/or are in a business transformation, from primary industry to a more service-based economy. Tomorrow's winner will likely be the same as today, and in the studied region Jönköping may be considered as the biggest winner, though the other county towns, Kalmar and Linköping/Norrköping, also are winners. There are some uncertainties about how Norrköping stands in the competition with Jönköping, just as between Kalmar and Växjö,. A strong growth in one urban area may cause that the growth in other areas are reduced.